"...the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden" is a reference
in the Old Testament to that tree which has become known as the "tree
of knowledge."

In the Garden of Eden man was given a choice between this tree, which
conferred mortality on mankind, and the tree of life, which granted immortality.
Given no other indication, artists and writers have envisioned the tree
of knowledge as an apple, a fig, a pear, dragon's blood, and a banana tree!

The most bizarre interpretation comes from a 13th century cathedral
in Indres, France, which contains a fresco showing Eve encountering a female
serpent entwined around a giant branching mushroom common in Europe - the
slightly toxic and hallucinogenic Amanita muscaria.